PATENTED UNIVERSAL TRANSITION DEVICE
OPTIMUS, the patented universal transition device.
OPTIMUS is a road barrier transition device anchoring an ET100-type concrete barrier to metallic and concrete barriers or reinforced concrete walls.
The device is designed to reduce impact hazards and prevent the vehicle from crumpling against the barrier's head.
PROJECT ORIGINS
Safety on Highway Work Sites: ACME S.r.l. Introduces OPTIMUS, the universal, patented transition device
At road and highway worksites, the starting point of a detour has always represented an area posing the highest risk to public safety. The discontinuity between the permanent steel barriers and the beginning of the worksite—delimited by concrete elements (such as the widely used Abesca ET100 profiles)—creates a dangerous “wall effect.” Until now, the joints between these two contrasting elements has relied on makeshift metalwork solutions that have never been properly tested and lacking legal safeguards.
To address this critical issue once and for all, ACME S.r.l. has designed and patented OPTIMUS: an advanced connection and transition device conceived to eliminate the risk of fatal impacts on the New Jersey barrier's head and save lives.
The device is designed to divert the vehicle's kinetic energy and prevent it from crumpling against the concrete New Jersey barrier's head.
WHY OPTIMUS
Unprecedented universal modularity
The name says it all: OPTIMUS originates from the need to combine maximum safety with total flexibility. True to its name, the device transforms and adapts to an infinite variety of configurations.
Simply replace a single connecting element to adapt OPTIMUS to any road scenario:
- Any containment level: Direct connection to H2, H3, or H4 metal barriers.
- Any installation: Perfect for both bridge edge and side edge/traffic divider configurations.
- Complete continuity: Adaptable not only for transitions between steel and concrete (H2/H3/H4 to ET100), but also as a discontinuity joint between New Jersey-style barriers.
Connecting different systems
It anchors an ET100 barrier to metal and concrete barriers, or reinforced concrete walls.
Configurable on either side
Can be installed on the right or left side of the carriageway, depending on the application.
Reusable device
The solution is designed to be recovered and reused, subject to inspection of the device’s condition.
Galvanized steel
The device is made of S355JR steel and galvanized in accordance with the EN ISO 1461 standard.
The device in the field
Construction details and real-world configurations.
PERFORMANCE AND CRASH TESTING
Outstanding Performance: Real-World Level A Crash Test (ASI = 1) and FEM Validation
OPTIMUS's incredible versatility is backed by the strongest scientific evidence and protected by a patent:
- Maximum Occupant Safety (ASI = 1.0): After undergoing physical crash testing in the most severe conditions (impact between an H2 metal barrier and an Abesca ET100 concrete barrier) at the prestigious CSI-accredited test facility, the device recorded an Impact Severity Index (ASI) of 1.0. This extraordinary result places OPTIMUS in Level A (the highest level of protection for vehicle occupants), as it optimally deflects and absorbs the impact energy without causing violent decelerations inside the passenger compartment.
Two impact tests performed on the same device. The TB51 test, involving a bus, was carried out on the very same unit that had already undergone the TB11 test with a passenger car—without replacing the device following the initial impact. OPTIMUS passed both tests.
Passenger car crash test
Assessment of the transition’s performance during an impact with a light vehicle, with particular focus on the containment and redirection of the vehicle.
Bus crash test
Assessment of the device’s response during impact with a vehicle of greater mass and kinetic energy.
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
Behavioural analysis across different impact configurations.
Range Validated employing FEM Models: To ensure safety across all its configurations, ACME S.r.l. has conducted an extensive series of advanced numerical finite element method (FEM) simulations. The various connection configurations studied confirm that OPTIMUS’s exceptional dynamic performance and structural stability remain consistent, regardless of the existing barrier to which it is attached.
KEY TECHNICAL DATA
Verified performance, design features, and maintenance.
A summary of the device’s key technical, performance and maintenance data.
Technical Compliance and Comprehensive Legal Coverage for Worksites
In the absence of a harmonized European standard for the CE marking of isolated transitions, OPTIMUS strictly complies with the performance criteria defined by the European technical report UNI CEN/TR 1317-10.
The combination of physical crash testing in the field and robust FEM validations offers Project Managers, Safety Coordinators (CSE), and Highway Contractors the highest level of civil and criminal protection: a solution scientifically certified by a Notified Body, ready to be incorporated into Safety and Coordination Plans (PSC), which permanently eliminates outdated and questionable makeshift on-worksite installations.
OPTIMUS EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS
OPTIMUS exclusive benefits
- Universal and Modular: A single base device that adapts to H2, H3, and H4 barriers—whether for bridge-edge or roadside applications—as well as New Jersey-to-New Jersey barrier connections, simply by changing the connecting element.
- Certified Safety ASI = 1: Top-tier crash performance (impact severity level A).
- Zero Wall Effect: A smooth transition that adapts to the vehicle and dissipates energy.
- Patented Technology: The only engineered, flexible solution to a critical issue in temporary traffic management.
TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION
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